AZUSA, CALIF. – After 40 minutes of regulation play failed to determine a winner, the eight-time defending GSAC champion Azusa Pacific buried Vanguard in a 5-minute overtime period, scoring 14 of the game's final 17 points, including 7 points in the final 30 seconds to put the pesky Lions away.
 
Vanguard center Ian Boys gave the Lions a 72-70 lead just 11 seconds into the overtime period, but it was the last lead the Lions would enjoy in a see-saw game that featured 10 lead changes and 16 ties. Sophomore guard Caleb Gervin tied the game at 72-72 with 3:40 left, and sophomore Jeff Staniland's 3-pointer 36 seconds later gave Azusa Pacific a lead it would not relinquish.
 
An Artis Curtis free throw with 51 seconds remaining cut the Cougar lead to 77-75, but freshman Brett Michel hit his third 3-pointer of the game, giving the Cougars an 80-75 lead with just 26 seconds remaining. Michel sent the game to overtime with a game-tying trey with 55 seconds in regulation.
 
Staniland and Gervin each hit a pair of free throws in the final 15 seconds to ice the game, and the 9-point difference at the final buzzer was the largest lead of the game. Gervin, who scored a team-high 20 points, had a hand in 10 of the Cougars' 14 points in overtime, scoring 4 points and dishing out assists on a pair of 3-pointers.
 
The Cougars appeared to be on track to put the Lions away midway through the second half, when Gervin made 2 consecutive put-back baskets, the second a dunk of a John  Bourne miss that gave the Cougars a 41-38 lead with 13:07 remaining in the second half. Bourne then took a charge on the Lions' next trip down the floor, then scored 2 of his 20 points on the next possession to cap a 6-0 Cougar run that gave Azusa Pacific its largest lead at 43-38 since scoring the first 6 points of the game.
 
However, Vanguard stayed within striking distance, as Dennis Keane converted a 3-point play opportunity. A Staniland 3-pointer kept the Cougar lead at 5, but Kemmy Burgess answered with a trey of his own, part of his game-high 22 points. Michel's first 3-pointer of the game gave the Cougars a 51-47 lead with 11:12 to go in regulation, but a pair of free throws from Shawn Corkery was sandwiched by 3-pointers from Keane and Burgess in an 8-0 Lion run that gave Vanguard a 55-51 lead with 9:50 left.
 
Staniland and Michel, who each scored 14 points, set up the overtime by each nailing the second of their 3 treys in the game. Staniland's second 3-pointer cut Vanguard's lead to 68-67 with 1:46 in regulation, and Michel sank his second trey of the game after taking a pass from Staniland to tie the game at 70-70 with 55 seconds left in regulation. Steve McIlwain had a chance to win the game as time expired, but his 3-point attempt through heavy traffic found only the rim.
 
With the win, Azusa Pacific is now 1-0 in GSAC play and 14-1 overall, while Vanguard drops to 0-1 in conference play and 4-8 overall.